Wow, it seems like I am catching up on my Alphabet Challenge after all!! Today for the letter X I have a swatch and then a comparison for you. The silly thing is, the comparison is for two polishes of the same brand! So without further ado please welcome China Glaze - Xtreme Thrash.

You may join us at any time along, but you must keep the original order of countries and without skipping. This is why it is called "A challenge", to differ it from a random one country mani idea.

There is NO time frame for each post, as long as it is in order. If you don't have time this week - you may work on your mani next week. No problem. As long as the order is kept.

What should your mani look like? You decide. The country is your inspiration. How you represent it - it's up to you. It can be as simple as the polish name (e.g. OPI "Russian Navy" to Represent Russia), the country's flag mani, using a country's colors or even make a complicated artwork to represent a country. Your choice!

The list of countries will be set once the challenge takes off. If you would like to add to the list - please let either Me or Gosiaknow, before September 8.

Every country will have an inLinkz code so that everyone who participate can have a thumbnail link to their blog post, in every participant's post. If you play along - please email Meor Gosia so we can give you the code to put in your blog post.

Please note: if you add your link to the display but you don't put the code in your blog post to show all other participants, your link will be deleted without warning.

Wow, I can't believe I got this far with the Alphabet Challenge! Haha, will I actually complete it? Who would believe... Anyway, today I have a taste of luxury for you. For the letter W let me present you with Waterlily by Dior.

Yes, I am finally back from my vacation! Russia was amazing, but it's so good to be home...
I have lots of things to show you but first I must complete my Alphabet Challenge obligations. So all my vacation experiences will come later next week. Sorry ;-)

For the letter U, I have a real nice color for you. This is U Rok by MUA, from their Love Hearts collection.

U ROK by MUA. Indoors under artificial lighting.

Ok, a confession first - I really really love those "mid-way" colors. All those colors that are between others. Like this one - not exactly blue but not yet purple. They always look the best in my opinion.

U ROK by MUA. Outdoors in direct sun.

U Rok, despite it's small bottle (6.8ml) and relatively short brush, applies perfectly and evenly from first coat. I would even consider it a one coater, but for that you'll have to be very very careful. I'm not that good so I used two coats. It's formula is a bit thick, but this can easily be fixed with a few drops of thinner.
It dries within a decent time frame and has a very glossy shine. All the pics of this polish alone are with no top coat.

U ROK by MUA, indoors with artificial lighting.

I have another "in-between" polish by the local brand Chic, called Catwalk, that is the older brother of U-Rok. It has the same shade but several levels darker. Here's a photo of them both. U-Rok on my middle and pinky, Catwalk on my index and ring fingers.

U ROK by MUA and Catwalk by Chic. Indoors with artificial lighting.

So I used Catwalk to stamp over U-Rok and complete my mani. I used the large DRK-A plate. I'm still not really getting my stamping at 100% and you can see all the areas a missed. I also managed to smear my pinky a little. Please don't look at it... :-( In these pics you also see a top coat.

U ROK by MUA stamped with Catwalk by Chic

U ROK by MUA stamped with Catwalk by Chic

So what do you think of my U polish? Do you have any MUA polishes?
You can find MUA polishes here. And they even ship internationally!

I'm still in Russia probably, but surprisingly - I did get a chance to make another post for the Alphabet Challenge. And not just a post: this is yet another very special polish mixed by the hands of the talented, one and only Amy-Venturous.

Nail Venturous Lacquers - The Shimmer Effect

This beauty is made of a purple creme (was it jelly? I couldn't tell!) with tons of goodies in it! There are small squares in yellow and green and larger squares in gold and bronze and lot's and lot's of micro glitter all over! Just to make you understand, here's a macro shot of the bottle:

Nail Venturous Lacquers - The Shimmer Effect

This polish applies perfectly. Lots and lots of glitter come up in every brush stroke. No need for fishing or special application. In all the pics you see one thick coat of The Shimmer Effect over one coat of Hot Purple by Chic and topped with two coats of Gelous.

Chic - Hot Purple

Well, in this case it's not opacity I'm worried about because The Shimmer Effect is so full of glitter that I believe it gives full opacity in two coats. But I definitely need to preserve this beauty, now that Amy is not really re-stocking it.

Nail Venturous Lacquers - The Shimmer Effect

Nail Venturous Lacquers - The Shimmer Effect

Nail Venturous Lacquers - The Shimmer Effect

Nail Venturous Lacquers - The Shimmer Effect

Nail Venturous Lacquers - The Shimmer Effect

Nail Venturous Lacquers - The Shimmer Effect

True beauty, isn't it?
Although it is currently not being produced, I think you should make sure to follow Amy on her blog and on her Facebook page. You can never know when her fingers will tickle again...

Still in Russia, yep! Unless of course I was kidnapped by some Marchians but I strongly doubt that. So yes, this is another scheduled post for you lovelies. And this time in the Alphabet Challenge, I get to the letter S. with Shazaam! By Aqua Daisy.

Aqua Daisy - Shazaam

If you follow Sheila of The Pointless Cafe, you would know that this is THE Perfect Purple. Yes, I totally agree with that deceleration. Shazaam, aside for having such a cool name (IMO), is amazing. First - it's a dream to apply. ONE coat and you're done. It's fully opaque, shiny, even and smooth. No brush strokes, no issues what so ever. Second - you don't even need a top coat. And third - it's full with scattered holo! Just look at these pics. They all show one coat with no top of the yummy Shazaam:

Aqua Daisy - Shazaam

Aqua Daisy - Shazaam

Aqua Daisy - Shazaam

Aqua Daisy - Shazaam

Aqua Daisy - Shazaam

You can find Shazaam in Aqua Daisy's Etsy shop. Also, make sure you follow her facebook page, to get all the latest updates. Aside for amazing polish, Aqua Daisy also offers a very pleasant service and some fun and colorful hair accessories.

While I am still in Russia, hopefully having fun, here's another entry in the Alphabet Challenge. This is by my favorite brand - Illamasqua - Radium.

Illamasqua - Radium. Taken indoors under artificial lighting.

I know, a bit of crazy color. I guess it's not for everyone. But it definitely is for me!Illamasqua describes this color as "Acidic lime, shimmer finish" which I feel is right on the spot. This acidic lime, almost neon color is simply gorgeous. It applies like a dream - or actually, like all my Illamasqua polishes. Radium is very rich in pigment and is almost a one coater. I used two coats just to avoid any brush strokes that could be seen on the first coat. It has some beautiful iridescent green micro-shimmer and beautiful yellow undertone.

So i'm in Russia right now but I did manage to leave a post or two scheduled for the week. So today's polish in the Alphabet Challenge is another pleasant surprise. In the bottle it looks like meh. Simple, creme, dusty... But on my nails I think this is a true beauty. This is Orly - Quite Contrary Berry.

Orly - Quite Contrary Berry. Indoors under artificial lighting.

Quite Contrary Berry is from Orly's Neue Neutrals collection from 2007 and since then it was entered into their permanent color collection. It's a dusty raspberry color that I think would look lovely on any skin tone. It is not quite red, nor quite pink or brown or whatever. It is some gorgeous mix in between.

Orly - Quite Contrary Berry. Outdoors in the sun.

Application was easy. Two thin, even coats that dried to a shiny gloss. In all the swatch pics you see no top coat!

Orly - Quite Contrary Berry. Indoors under artificial lighting.

Orly - Quite Contrary Berry. Outdoors in the shade.

And just for the fun, I did a little bit of sponging and stamping on my ring finger. First I sponged a bit of Milani - White on the Spot mixed with Orly - Quite Contrary Berry to make an un-even lighter area on the nail, and then I stamped the dots from DRK-A plate using the very same Orly - Quite Contrary Berry.

Orly - Quite Contrary Berry. Taken indoors under artificial lighting.

Orly - Quite Contrary Berry. Taken indoors under artificial lighting.

Orly - Quite Contrary Berry. Taken indoors under artificial lighting.

Naturally, on the stamping you do see some top coat. But you can see how glossy this polish is looking on the other nails next to it!
So, what do you think of this color? Is it for you?

Hello beautifuls!
While you read these lines, I am already in Moscow, Russia. I'll be gone for a little less then 2 weeks. Most likely I will not have internet there so you can get all wild without me.

I had a great plan of scheduling all the Alphabet Challenge posts for the next two weeks, but I didn't have time to actually finish them :-( So there might be one or two, depends on how late I can stay tonight... And I guess the rest will just have to wait...

But I did want to show you something very special just before I leave. I knew (aka I decided!) I needed a red polish for the flight. And I have quite a few gorgeous reds! But I needed a holo. Of course, I never think about things on time, and the night before my flight, I have nowhere to get red holo from. So with the help of some awesome gals - Silver, Ashley and Jody (yes, yes, the gorgeous SoFlaJo), and with the help of some magic little powder I got me a while ago, I did my first frankening ever!

My first frankens - Red Holo

From left to right these are the mixtures I used. amounts refer to bottle size. "Scoops" refer to a straw being cut diagonally on the end and used as a scooper:

4. Half amount clear polish, almost half amount Color Club Queen of Speed, a few drops of an orange creme (local brand), 2+ scoops of spectaflair - fine, 20 drops of polish thinner.
the + means I used 2 scoops and then I dropped the polish thinner into the little zip bag where the spectaflair was in (after I used it all of course!) and got all the powder left on the plastic.

5. half amount clear polish, half amount of a mix between Zoya America, Julep January, Color Club Queen of Speed and a few drops of Color Club Psychedelic Scene, 2 scoops spectaflair - fine, 1 scoop spectaflair - medium and the leftover of the spectaflair - medium mixed into 25 polish thinner drops, the way explained for polish #4.

I'm sorry for the messy application. Well, I guess all you wanna see now is the pictures so just some quick info and stuff I have learned:
1. The more you add clear polish - the better. It makes the spectaflair mix better into the polish.
2. The thinner did good to my mixture. I should remember to use it always.
3. While I enjoy this game of mixing, I am never going to have the patience it really needs to make perfection for sale. All of a sudden I have so much more respect for those indie makers who actually do this..... You really are amazing!!!

As I promised you, this is the second part of my polishes for the letter P in the Alphabet Challenge. If you haven't yet, you should see the first part, to know what I'm talking about.
So today I will show you another indie polish. This is Penny Pincher by the amazing Cynthia of Alter Ego.

Penny Pincher by Alter Ego. Indoors photo under artificial light.

I have a special fetish for all orange shades, and this is what caught my eye to begin with. But when I saw this polish on my nails... WOW! I love it so much! This is a gorgeous copper-orange shimmer that has an amazing texture and beautiful glow.

Penny Pincher by Alter Ego. Indoors photo under artificial light .

When I got this bottle in the mail, Cynthia added a note about the proper use of this polish. She suggests that a few minutes before use, you will put the bottle upside down for a little while and then shake it well. I didn't really give much thought to this, and I placed the polish in my helmer. Then when I took it out to use it, I saw that all the glitter sank down and the base was above it. I was a bit worried and disappointed, but then the note fell on my feet and I read it again. I did as suggested and all my worries disappeared!

Penny Pincher by Alter Ego. outdoors in the sun.

This polish applies as easy as any good creme or shimmer applies! All the sinking glitters came up and turned into a very consistent formula, rich in pigment and texture. I only had to use 2 easy coats that dried very quickly into somewhat of a matte finish. But it's so shimmery that you don't even notice it's matte. Just look at the pictures and see for yourself. There's NO top coat in any of the pictures.

Penny Pincher by Alter Ego. Indoors photo under artificial light

Penny Pincher by Alter Ego. outdoors in direct sun.

Penny Pincher by Alter Ego. A close up view

Penny Pincher by Alter Ego. Outdoors photo in direct sun.

Oh and I almost forgot to tell you - removing this polish is as easy as removing a creme polish. No need for foiling or any other harsh method. 4-5 strokes of a cotton pad with polish remover do the work perfectly!

You can get Penny Pincher in Cynthia's store. She offers international shipping in a very low price!Also, make sure you also follow her Facebook page for any update.